Welcome to Close Call Sports. CCS objectively tracks and analyzes close and controversial calls in sport, with great regard for the rules and spirit of the game. Developed from The Left Field Corner: MLB Umpire Ejection Fantasy League (UEFL), whose purpose is to objectively track and analyze umpire ejections, video instant replay reviews and their corresponding calls, with great regard for the rules and spirit of the game.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Ejection 066: Alfonso Marquez (1)

HP Umpire Alfonso Marquez ejected Atlanta Braves outfielder Matt Diaz for arguing a ball call in the top of the 9th inning of the Yankees-Braves game. With none out and none on, Yankees batter Alex Rodriguez took a 1-0 sinker from Braves pitcher Jonny Venters for a called ball two. Replays indicate the 1-0 sinker from Venters to Rodriguez was over the outside part of the plate and at the hollow of Rodriguez's knees (norm_ht of -0.912 and Lower Bound, Upper Bound of [-1.009, -0.813]), the call was incorrect.* At the time of the ejection,
the Yankees were leading, 3-0. The Yankees ultimately won the contest, 3-0.

Crew Chief Tom Hallion now has 0 points in the UEFL's Crew division (0 Previous + 0 Incorrect Call = 0).
*Under the Miller Rule (UEFL Rule 6-2-b-2 and Comment), when at any point the Lower Bound, Upper Bound is less than |1.000|, the pitch may be a strike.
Note: This ejection was added to the official box score after the conclusion of the game.

30
comments
:

Turducken
said...

Can't blame Diaz. Gets called to pinch hit, and takes one off the plate to fall in the hole, and then swings and misses for the strikeout. http://www.brooksbaseball.net/pfxVB/cache/numlocation_io.php-pitchSel=449060&game=gid_2012_06_11_nyamlb_atlmlb_1&batterX=65&innings=yyyyyyyyy&sp_type=1&s_type=3.gif

I know it may have been in the zone, but the catcher butchered that by pulling it back up. It "looked" like a ball the way it was caught. Notice that neither the catcher or pitcher was even surprised with the call.

What should be stated in the article is Diaz took an obvious ball during his AB in the 8th to go in the hole 0-2. He swung and missed on the next pitch and had a parting shot for Marquez. The missed pitch from Venters got Diaz going again. Up to that point, Marquez seemed to have called a decent game.

Diaz had a pinch hit AB in the 8th and a pitch slightly lower than the ball you see here was called a strike on him. When Diaz struck out, he was slow to leave the area of the plate and he and Marquez exchanged words. I promise you, the ejection came because Diaz brought up the missed pitch from the inning prior.

If Anon challenges this, I challenge his challenge. Should remain incorrect either way under 6-5-C-3, as Diaz was thrown out for reigniting the argument over the second strike in his at bat, which was incorrectly ruled by Marquez.

1. If a player says something from the dugout loud enough for the umpire to hear, they did it on purpose and they're taking their chances. Umpires have more than enough to do without straining to hear conversations. Rabbit ears is a crap comment.

2. People who say 'rabbit ears' expect the umpire to ignore. But there is a limit. How long would you ignore arguments against your calls, or profane personal insults, before you used your only weapon and dumped the fool?

3. Boozie is wrong, though he said it right. 'Reigniting' an argument is against the rules. You get one shot. You come back at me over the same thing later, you go home. As such, this should be irrecusable.